


lay all your love on me

by perropascal



Category: The Mandalorian (TV)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Touch-Starved
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-18
Updated: 2020-11-18
Packaged: 2021-03-09 20:08:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,624
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27611875
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/perropascal/pseuds/perropascal
Summary: you do not trust your travel guides on this strange planet but your Mandalorian just wants you to stop worrying and rest.
Relationships: Baby Yoda (The Mandalorian TV) & Din Djarin & Reader, Baby Yoda (The Mandalorian TV) & Reader, Baby Yoda (The Mandalorian TV)/Din Djarin, Din Djarin/Reader, Din Djarin/You
Comments: 6
Kudos: 134





	lay all your love on me

You blink rapidly down at the campfire at your feet. 

You were so tired. You were sure that at any moment your eyes would shut, that you wouldn’t be able to open them no matter how hard you tried and your entire body would collapse and there was nothing to be done to prevent this. Today you had traveled longer and further than you thought possible for your body - not to mention the tiny body of the green creature sleeping in your arms. You blink your eyes again focusing on the fire, trying your best to stay awake. 

Din was perched next to you. He, unlike you, was relaxed with his legs crossed out in front of him and his hands clasped behind his helmet as he observed your traveling companions. You knew Din was wary of them but he had not openly expressed these concerns throughout your long day. You were highly suspicious of the two aliens across the fire from you. They were much too interested in learning about the child. Too invested in him for random two strangers you had stumbled upon. 

Yet Din seemed to think the only way across this planet’s surface was by following these two, they were natives and knew the landscape. You had to admit, after over a year of traveling with your Mandalorian companion and his very small green son, with almost no luck finding any new connections to the child’s people, you too were a bit desperate to follow anything that might lead you to an even a single answer. And this planet might have that answer. 

So you were following these rather unpleasant aliens across some rather difficult terrain for hours a day. But you didn’t trust them. The way they looked at the child and the way they spoke in whispers when Din wasn’t looking, but mostly the way you felt when they looked at you - it was pure dread in the pit of your stomach. You had tried to explain this to Din but he insisted that he would make sure nothing happened. You tried to reason with him but he seemed to think your reservations were amusing. So no, you had no plans on sleeping. Nope. You wouldn’t risk the safety of the child. He was too important to you. And to Din. 

And well, Din was…well he was important to you too. Though you don’t think you could ever admit as much to him. 

You watch as one of the alien’s nods in your direction and rises from his position and makes his way to where he had set up a makeshift bed just out of sight of the firelight. You glare in his general direction. The small lump in your arms moves and you look down at the child. You would stay awake all night if there was even the smallest chance that someone wanted to harm this tiny creature. You had been traveling with your Mandalorian for a little over a year. Mostly you were here to serve as a caretaker for a child, occasionally a nurse when your Mandalorian was roughed up in a fight, and very rarely a pilot when things got really desperate. 

You had taken the job because you had been on the run from some unsavory debt collectors, and you knew that joining the crew of Mandalorian was sure to get rid of them. You had been right - well, technically Din, as you now knew him, had taken care of them once you confessed to him one evening how they had really treated you. He had not taken the information lightly and against your wishes tracked each one of them down….and made them regret the way they treated you. He had made them regret it immensely. And after that, you had decided to stick around as long as the Mandalorian would have you. 

Your relationship with your Mandalorian now was …. complicated? Well, you weren’t entirely sure if it was complicated or not, which would suggest that it was very complicated. It had taken months for you to work up the courage to even strike up just a regular, casual conversation with him. You were surprised when he seemed receptive, excited even. You were even more surprised when he remembered small details of your conversation some days later while you were cruising through hyperspace and asked you for more details. 

Over time, the two of you had become comfortable in each other’s presence, even if it was just passing silence. You no longer feared the Mandalorian. You didn’t find him intimidating like everyone else whom you met on your journey did - no, you had seen a side of him that was impossible to unsee. You had seen the way he cared so deeply for his son. The way he was willing to give his life at any moment for his son. And you had seen the kindness in the way he had treated you. These things painted a very different picture of your Mandalorian, a side that only you were blessed enough to see. 

Throughout your adventures together you had seen him become protective of you too. Once when one of his rather shady contacts had made an obscene comment in your direction, Din had punched him so hard in the nose that you could hear the crack as the man started to scream through the bloody mess. Din didn’t even let him apologize before he knocked him out cold. He never commented on that gesture, but it had meant more than you could ever explain to your Mandalorian companion. You now often found yourself craving his company, wanting nothing more than to be close to him because when he was near you knew you were safe. 

You feel Din shift slightly next to you and his hand lands on your thigh. You look down at your leg and it takes a full minute to register that Din, your Mandalorian, is touching you. He is….touching your leg. Why? Once that thought is registered you jerk your head up and see the T-shaped visor staring straight back at you. 

“You need to rest,” you hear his modulated voice but you don’t register that he is speaking to you because one of the aliens gets up from his place by the fire and you glare at him. You glare so hard in his direction that Din brings his other hand up and gently place it on the side of your face and pulls it so you are looking at him once again. “You need to sleep. Tomorrow will be another long day.”

Your face is set in a hard scowl as you take in your helmeted friend. Your eyebrows are drawn in a thin line and you huff as you swat his hand away.

“I’ll rest when I know we are safely away from these two,” you hiss. As you readjust your posture so you are sitting a little straighter against the log and you glare in the direction of your two alien companions. You move your arms so you are holding the tiny green bundle closely to your chest as he lets out a soft snore. “And I won’t close my eyes until then. Not until I know we’re safe.” 

You turn your head and face the fire again. You stare at the dancing flames hyper-aware of the Mandalorian’s gaze still fixed on you intently. 

“Do you think I’d let them harm you?” It is the soft tone of his voice, the sincerity with which he says those words, almost as if he is trying to convey something to you through that causing you to turn your body a little towards him. You tilt your head and blink up at him. “Do you really think I’d ever risk your safety?” 

His voice is nothing more than a whisper as he brings his hand up and softly places it on your cheek. This is the second time he has done this. And it strikes you as odd. Your Mandalorian had never been one for physical affection. Even with his son. He occasionally would place his hand on your lower back when you were in a crowded place, or offer his arm when you were tired and needed a little extra help walking. But you were the one who often held the kid as he slept or when he fussed, though it was apparent to everyone that the kid preferred the Mandalorian’s caretaking. You shrugged it off most of the time, blaming it on the connection the two of them shared long before you wandered into their lives. 

Now though sitting here by the light of the campfire you can’t help but wonder what your Mandalorian is thinking. You stare back at the small t-shape and try and picture him looking at you, not the helmeted figure staring at you, no - but your Mandalorian. You try and imagine him looking at you with his eyes. You had often thought about what color they were. Somedays you picture them as a light blue. Crisp, like the ocean waves on your home planet of Spira. Other days you were convinced they had to be green. Bright, like the Wroshyr trees on Kashyyyk. But most days you picture them to be dark brown. You can picture them now - soft and kind, but mostly warm. You knew that looking into them would feel like home. 

You realize that you have been sitting here staring at the Mandalorian for a suspicious amount of time now. Your brain is working at such a sluggish pace at this point you aren’t even sure how long you had been staring at him. You are surprised however when you bring your hand up and place it on the side of his helmet. You’d never done something so….intimate before. Something so deeply personal. You knew what his helmet meant. You knew the Creed. And you had never chosen to question his way of life. Why should you? He had never asked about your questionable past. 

But at this moment you want nothing more than to rip it off and finally see what color eyes are staring at you so intently. But that moment passes quickly and your hand slowly falls back down to your lap as you adjust the child in your arms. 

“You didn’t answer me,” you feel a tight squeeze on your thigh and see that his hand is still resting comfortably there. 

“Because I don’t want to,” you whisper back. 

“You won’t rest? Or you won’t answer me?”

“Both,” you stubbornly snap.

“Look at me,” you feel him put pressure on your thigh. You let out a huff of air and try to scoot a little further away from him. But his grip on your leg is too strong and it prevents you from moving. You jerk your head up and glare at him. 

“Let go, Din,” you hiss. He doesn’t relent and instead leans forward so he was mere inches from your face.

“I’m not going to let something happen to you. To either of you. As long as you’re with me you’re safe. It is important to me that you understand that,” you look at your reflection in the low lighting and tilt your head wanting to really see yourself. Not the reflection, but to see yourself how your Mandalorian saw you. For the first time, it would seem your Mandalorian might actually be harboring some emotions behind that helmet. “Tell me you understand.” 

You stare at him for several seconds as you try to make the words unscramble in your brain and make sense, before scowling at him. 

“No, I do not understand. I don’t understand at all. Why are we here? I keep telling you that I want to leave. I don’t trust these krif - “ Din cuts you off by placing a gloved finger over your lips. Your surprise at this gesture is clearly marked on your face as you stare at him stunned. 

“If you believe I won’t protect you and the kid, then we leave. Right now. No questions,” he lowers his hand from your lips and you can feel the intensity of his stare. “If you honestly believe that, we go. Now.” 

You blink up at him a few times trying to process the words. 

“I….well, I know you wouldn’t ever mean for something to happen. That’s not what I meant at all. I just don’t want them to do something bad…to you either….” your sentence trails off as you realize that you had said more than you intended. You start to internally curse yourself. Did you really just say that? Maybe you could pass it off as a caring friend? After all, your Mandalorian was a friend. A good friend. You shudder at the thought of how disastrous it would be if the Mandalorian disappeared from your life. 

“You don’t need to worry about me. I can take care of myself.”

Without thinking, without letting your mind catch up you reach over with your free hand and grab his helmet. You turn it so he is forced to look directly at you 

“But you don’t have to anymore. I want to help you. And I do worry about you, Din. A lot.” 

You can see the helmet tilt ever so slightly in your direction. You look at him for a long moment hoping he understands you, hoping beyond hope he can understand just a small portion of your feelings towards him that you have tried so hard to hide for so long now. But then you remember where you are, and you remember who you are speaking with and you immediately regret having said anything and yank your hand away. You turn your attention back to the fire and try and make it appear like it’s the most fascinating thing in the world. You both sit there in silence for several long moments before you feel a hand come to rest in the center of your back.

“I worry a lot about you too,” his voice is barely above a whisper. You don’t turn to look at him. You are frozen in place. You don’t want to ruin this moment. You don’t want to ask him what he means because you aren’t sure you will like the answer. What if he means he only worries because he feels some sense of moral obligation because you’re his son’s caretaker? What if he views you as a companion, a partner, and nothing more? 

You had long since come to terms with the fact that you would never truly know your Mandalorian. You would never see his face. You would never be able to share that part of him, but you were okay with that. If not seeing him meant he would still keep you around for the foreseeable future, and hopefully long after that, then you would sacrifice whatever you needed to. 

As the silence continues to grow between the two of you, you start to wonder what you wouldn’t sacrifice for your Mandalorian. You can’t think of anything you would not willingly give to him. And as you stare at the dancing flames it dawns on you so suddenly, almost painfully so, that you let out a small gasp - you loved Din Djarin. You loved your Mandalorian and you would happily give your life to him. You could never ask him to sacrifice The Way, to give up the foundation of who he is, but you could trust him. 

To love someone was to trust them. To love someone was to put your faith in them to make the right choice, and you loved him and you believed in him with every fiber of you being. So you slowly blink your eyes a few times to make sure there are no tears and focus, so your next words are clear. You know he is still looking at you so you continue to stare straight ahead at the flames. 

“I trust you, Din. With everything…everything that I am. I know you would never let anyone harm me. Or him,” you shrug slightly to show him the small lump in your arms. You turn your head and look at your shiny friend. “I know I can trust you to take care of us. Even if I don’t agree with you some of the time. I trust you. With my life.” 

He doesn’t immediately respond. Instead, just bring the hand still resting on your thigh to your cheek. 

“You’re crying,” he states. 

“And your gloves are too cold,” you giggle back at him as you try to hide your face so he can’t see your embarrassment, It happens so quickly you’re sure you imagine it - his gloved hand leaves your cheeks and seconds later is replaced by warm, calloused fingers as they gently guide your face back so you’re looking at the t-shape visor. 

“Better?” You let out a sharp breath as you realize that you are feeling Din’s skin for the first time. His touch. His warmth is right there. You just nod dumbly as you feel his finger wipe away another tear. “Does this mean you’ll at least try and rest?”

“If you promise not to put that glove on till morning?” 

There is a very faint chuckle from behind his modulator, a sound so rare you aren’t sure if you hear it correctly. 

“Fine. Now hand him over,” he says as he holds out his arms. You look at him confused and pull the child a little closer to your chest. You were always the one to hold the kid while he slept and always the one to put him to sleep on the ship. So you can’t help but feel a bit defensive as your Mandalorian offers his outstretched hands. This was your job, not his. You can hear a soft chuckle again as he observes your reluctance. “I am more than capable of taking care of him for a few hours while you rest.” 

“I……know that,” you hesitate as you carefully place the child in his arms. You shake and stretch your arms absentmindedly because it had fallen asleep while holding the small green bundle. You glance around unsure of where a good spot to the layout would be. You don’t want to stray too far from Din and the fire but none of the nearby ground looks comfortable enough to attempt sleep. 

Din seems to see your predicament and gently places his free hand on your thigh again and squeezes to get your attention. You look at him as you yawn, you register the sound of his armor clicking and see one of his cuisse removed. Your eyebrows pull together at this strange action. Din didn’t remove his armor off the ship. And hardly when you were on the ship. His armor was his identity. So when you look at him and his ungloved hand pats his thigh lightly you glare at him in a haze of tiredness, mixed with your confusion. When you don’t move from your spot you hear a heavy sigh.

“Here, lay down,” his hand gently helps guide you so you are laying your head against his thigh. Your eyes are wide open as you think about the intimacy of this action. It is such a simple thing, but you know that it means so much more. So turn your head slightly and gaze up at you Mandalorian, who looks very different from this angle. You feel his hand on the back of your head. “Close your eyes. It’ll be light in a few hours.” 

He slowly strokes the back of your head with his ungloved hand and you hum in contentment. Then you open your eyes and turn back at him with concern. 

“Won’t you need both hands free if something should happen?” You can hear the hesitation as if he opened his mouth to say something but then thought better of it. You simply turn over so you are laying on your back and put your arms up. “I honestly won’t be able to sleep without him near me. I need to know he is breathing. I need to hear it.”

“He means that much to you?” There is a sincerity in the way that Din says it as he passes the small bundle back into your awaiting arms that surprises you. How could he ask such a thing? Of course, the child meant that much to you. He meant more to you than anything. He was the one thing you might love more than your own Mandalorian, though he didn’t need to know that part just yet.

“Of course he does, you bantha. What a stupid question.” 

You don’t say another word as you pull the child close to your chest and turn ever so slightly so you can close your eyes away from the firelight. You can feel Din’s ungloved hand come back down and begin to soothingly stroke the top of your head and along your neck, shoulders, and down your arms. His feather-light touches just reminding you that he is there, protecting you, watching you - that no harm will befall you under his careful watch. You focus for a moment on his soft touches on your skin, and you have to wonder if all his skin is so calloused. Or if parts of him were softer. You try and picture it as you start to drift. This was the first time he had ever touched you without his gloves and it felt like heaven. 

It’s only a few minutes before sleep pulls you under and you slept better than you had in weeks.

____♡____

**Author's Note:**

> tumblr - perropascal


End file.
